Washington State Quality Award

In October 2007, the Department of Revenue became the first Washington State Executive Cabinet agency to apply for a full examination by the Washington State Quality Award. For nearly 14 years, Revenue has used the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence as the foundation of its management model and to foster a culture of continuous improvement. The Department of Revenue conducted three self-assessments prior to its first external evaluation.

This Washington State Quality Award examination is an opportunity to describe the agency’s mature management processes and share impressive results. Revenue has benefited from the evaluation process by implementing multiple process improvements throughout the journey.

To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of our improvement efforts, Revenue submitted a WSQA "Lite Assessment" application in June 2011. The Department received excellent scores, but more valuable was the objective, professional advice about the agency's strengths and opportunities for improvement. The feedback supports ongoing continuous improvement efforts.